March 26, 2008

 

 

In 1977, Ridley Scott was a successful ad director when he made the leap to feature films with The Duellists, screening on April 14. With each subsequent film, Scott proved himself a genre conqueror supreme. See for yourself on Mondays in April at the Michigan Theater, in the latest edition of the Great Directors Series.

The Ridley Scott series includes:

• April 7 - Gladiator (2000): Won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor. A vengeful Roman general (Russell Crowe), betrayed by a corrupt prince (Joaquim Phoenix), comes to Rome as a gladiator. “Huge in scope and endlessly exciting, Gladiator is the new word in blockbuster…Crowe…reaches new levels of magnetism. It's official: the Roman Empire is hip again,” said Ben Falk of BBC Online. (Rated R; 155 min.)

• April 14 -The Duellists (1977): From a story by Joseph Conrad, set in the age of Napoleon, a French officer insults a peer, creating life-long enmity in Scott’s film debut. Tagline: “Fencing is a science. Loving is a passion. Dueling is an obsession.” The outstanding cast includes Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel and Albert Finney. (Rated PG; 100 min.)

• April 21 - Thelma & Louise (1991): Sisterhood is powerful. Starring Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis and a 1966 T-bird, this “thumpingly adventurous road pic about two regular gals” features “comedy, momentum and dazzling visuals” – Variety.com. Won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. (Rated R; 129 min.)

• April 28 - Alien (1979): Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver and Harry Dean Stanton find out the hard way that in space, no one can hear you scream. Won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. “Scott's film still shreds nerves. Set on a commercial tug…the story opens just as a seven-person crew awakens from its programmed deep sleep. Months away from Earth, the crew has been directed by its employer…to investigate a signal bouncing around space. What they discover on the planet…is a nightmarishly primordial vision that's yet to be surpassed by the movies.” – Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times. (Rated R; 117 min.)